Rock climbing in Alghero and Sassari

The area around Alghero and Sassari includes a large number of climbing sectors. Starting from the awesome sea cliffs in Capo Caccia (Alghero) to the many crags scattered on the hills surrounding Osilo. Although not the most renowned in Sardinia, many of the crags in Osilo offer decent climbing routes for an easy half-day outdoor. Above all, they aren’t very high and thus a great playground for boulder lovers and beginners.

On the other hand, the climbing walls near Alghero are famous for the awesome multi-pitch routes by the sea. They include trad climbing and bolted routes too. However, pay attention to the condition of the bolting by the sea. Many climbing routes in this area were bolted many years ago and are now perilously oxidated and dangerous.

Which are the best sport-climbing crags near Sassari?

Let’s start with Monteleone Rocca Doria. This is a high and large climbing wall located beneath a medieval town with plenty of history. The ancient fortress was demolished centuries ago and only a few rocks survived to testify the passage of a king. The crag faces west, with a great view over the lake, and is on shade until late afternoon. It was bolted by Maurizio Oviglia in 2006 and has become one, if not the best, climbing crag in north Sardinia. The wall is vertical and sometimes slightly overhanging, on-sighting the routes require good climbing technique and endurance.

Dimensione Verticale is great for beginners, with a good number of nice and relatively short routes. Approach time is only one minute from the car, making it the perfect crag for an easy afternoon session.

For more experienced climbers in search of challenging routes, we recommend Siberia. The name reveals its secret. The crag faces northeast and is in the shade the whole day. It is the perfect summer crag with hard and overhanging routes. It was bolted recently and the equipment is among the safest in the area.

Where are the best multi-pitches near Alghero?

There are many interesting multi-pitch climbs in the area of Alghero. First of all, we should mention the TRAD routes on the granite crag of Rocca della Bagassa. This one is located in the countryside north of Alghero and has many easy itineraries to enjoy a morning climb in English style.

The great western wall of Capo Caccia is the main and most spectacular sea cliff in the north of Sardinia. Anyhow, we recommend climbing only the routes that were recently re-bolted or the classics in TRAD. Sea salt and heath speed up the oxidation process and reduce bolts life to a few years only. As a result, many of the fixes could pop out with minimal resistance. Please do not trust fixes and lower-offs by the sea.

You may wonder why didn’t mention Casarotto yet? Well… that’s one of the most controversial climbing locations in Sardinia. It is beautiful for sure, it’s on shade in the morning and has awesome routes both overhanging and vertical but… The fixes that were used on this crag are now awfully oxidized and taking a fall can be dangerous as they may break. There are plans to rebolt this crag, but until then, please avoid it.